The Peshawar Zalmi thrashed the Quetta Gladiators by 58 runs to win their first Pakistan Super League title.
It was a momentous occasion on Sunday night when a Pakistan Super League match was actually staged in Pakistan for the first time in its history, and as the curtains closed on its second edition in Lahore.
A number of overseas players chose not to participate in the match for security reasons, including Rilee Rossouw, who finished as the tournament’s fourth-highest run-scorer. Kevin Pietersen also chose to miss the match, leaving the Gladiators with a depleted side.
The reinforcements came in the form of Dolphins veteran Morne van Wyk, who made the express trip up to the subcontinent, after playing in a One Day Cup match on Friday. The whirlwind trip didn’t pay off, as he was run out for one in the chase.
Zimbabwean Sean Ervine was also handed a debut and even top-scored for the Gladiators, but the fact that he scored 24 summed up his side’s evening.
Zalmi have a knack for over-performing in this tournament, as they won the group stage in the inaugural edition last year, before losing out in the qualifier. Their 148-6 was competitive, but chaseable, as Kamran Akmal’s 40 provided the platform before Darren Sammy smashed three sixes for an 11-ball 28.
In response, Van Wyk lost his wicket nine balls in as Hasan Ali ran him out for one, before Hasan chipped in with two wickets of his own to finish with figures of 2-13. Mohammad Ashgar (3-16) and Wahab Riaz (2-13) ensured that the Gladiators were never in the chase, bowling them out for 90 in the 17th over.
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